On the Hunt -- Game Thread

Setting: Medieval-age Europe, year 1095. The air is filled with fear and religious zeal following the arrival of Islamic Turks taking over Jerusalem and the call from Pope Urban II for retaliation. Fear grips the hearts of the commoners and aristocrats alike, not only because the walkers of day are getting restless, but also because the night stalkers likewise shift about unusually.

Silence fills the air; merchants do not roam the streets for fear of robbery, and most people know better than to wander this close to nightfall. Though the sun still burns yellow, the shadows belie its proximity to the horizon. Rigid rectangular structures inspired by Roman architecture and bearing pyramid roofs line the paved streets, seven of which extend outwards from a central plaza like the spokes of a wheel whose hub contains a single, inadequately sized fountain. Although this fountain stands alone in the center, even its singularity provides it no significance in comparison to the gargantuan church standing one hundred feet from it due west, in the same direction as the sun, only hours from setting. The church's shadow looms over the square, almost engulfing it in darkness save for the very edges of the plaza. The shadow of the steeple extends clear past the east edge of the square, dividing the remaining light into two places.

A small beam of light peeks through a hole in the bell tower of the church, striking the fountain at just the right angle to direct a shard of light into the eyes of a sitting man, who would normally feel uncomfortable and avert his eyes if not for the blindfold covering them. He leans against a column of the church, almost hidden in shadow but still slightly noticeable as the faint fountain light glints off his mysterious orb.

Another being rests high in the bell tower, jerked awake by the sounds of heavy footsteps up the ladder to the bell. Several bats flee from the belfry, their daytime sleep disturbed by the presence of human obtrusiveness. The man knows he can easily avoid the human by stepping off the east edge of the tower, where footholds abound from years of decay, something he has not experienced himself.

Yet another creature rests on his stomach close to a chimney on a nearby building. The heat from below is warm and comfortable, and the sunlight is finally beginning to recede, granting him the gift of shadow. With the warmth on his back that lulled him to sleep beginning to recede, his mind begins to stir once again.

One final beast roams the plaza, taking in the sights and indulging in the dying light. She holds no fear of the night; in fact, she rather embraces it more than the daylight that bore half of her lineage. Very little goes on at this time of day, so she is starting to get a little bored. The fun begins after dark, of course.

Illia scans the area for a leatherworks shop. Hopefully there's a shop around here that's still open. In addition to that, I'm hoping that their prices aren't too outlandish. Too bad our reputation is a largely bad one, seeing as how it inconveniences all sides. Illia lets out a sigh before continuing her search.

Doru stands and stretches. Long day and not too much money, whatever I guess I'll head back. He thinks to himself as he walks inside the church. "Hello? I would like to be attended to, it's rather uncomfortably warm in here." Doru asks to no one in particular. If they don't hurry...

Marth begins to step off of the side of the roof, only to stop and instead wait. Maybe I'll give them a little scare, I'd be curious to see who it was regardless... He stands behind the ladder, so that the person will not see him when he gets to the top.

Illia searches, her eyes well suited to darkness, for a leatherworks shop hidden in the shadows. Unfortunately, she finds no store of value in this part of town. There is a tailor, although leather is not his specialty; he makes clothes for the wealthy.

Doru's voice echoes through the church, reverberating off the walls. A clergyman walks beside the right wall, lighting the candles, but he ignores Doru's call. He catches his V-coin, which lands on heads. A few seconds later, a tall man wearing a dark cloak approaches Doru along the left wall. "Ah, Lord Thorne, you're here early. Come to the basement, where it is cooler; Master Uat has been expecting you." Doru recognizes this man as a vampire, one he's known since his birth hundreds of years ago, but the name Uat sounds completely unfamiliar.

Even through the grogginess of prior sleep, Synyster's eyes don't miss much of what is happening in the square. He is currently on a building almost directly across from the church, but a little to the right. He sees a man walk inside the church, and he spots a young woman walking towards his building, just across the street. She does not notice him.

A young man, not even close to being out of his teens, climbs to the top of the ladder and steps aside, grabbing the rope to swing the bell. Marth remains concealed in the darkness and only sees the back of the boy's head, and he does not recognize him.

"But you can't recognize them during the day. They are as weak as—maybe even weaker than—humans, and they look just like the rest of us!""To you, maybe. But I am wiser than that. Do you not remember why they call me The Venerable?"

Illia groans in frustration. Damn. Guess I'll have to search another town later. I may as well search for a tavern. Hopefully this place has one of those, because I need a drink. Illia thinks as she continues along the road.

I feel like I need something to quench my thirst...Maybe there's a tavern somewhere where I can grab a hard drink. Synyster climbs down the building he was resting on and begins looking for a place where he can have a drink.

Doru follows the man, "So any news on old bloods around here?" he asks as they two walk. "Could you please hold a moment? I would like to seem more imposing for this new master." Doru says with a grin as wings sprout from his shoulders through holes in his cloak. (Using transformation: wings)

Illia easily locates a pub down one of the side streets. It's only about a building off from the plaza, just enough to be tucked in out of sight of the church. When she approaches, she sees through the window that there are already a few people inside.

Synyster, having climbed down from his vantage point, looks around and finds the same pub. He notices the girl from before standing right outside of it.

Marth attempts to grab the boy before he grabs the rope. However, he is too slow, and the boy grips and pulls just as Marth grabs him. Startled, the boy tugs hard as he jerks forward, letting go and turning to face Marth. As the bell begins to swing, Marth instinctively protects his ears.

The man Doru was following is halfway down a staircase as Doru begins to transform with little effort. "News? Ah, some recent problems with giant creatures. Carac is sick, but Master Uat has a plan to help him. Besides that..." He stops and chuckles as Doru transforms. "Your prestige alone is imposing on its own, Lord Thorne." Doru remembers Carac as well; why he's here in this city is beyond him.

The bell suddenly rings once, its echoes resonating throughout the plaza and surrounding streets. Though the bell does not ring too loudly, it bears a commanding tone. As if by instinct, the people inside the tavern look out towards the source.

Doru continues after his associate. "What ails Carac on this eve? An old friend of mine once told me, '...Only the gods may dwell forever in Shamash.'" Doru again flips his v-coin. "What have you prepared for me tonight?"

Illia picks up on the bell but takes little note of it before walking inside the tavern. She notices everyone in the tavern looking towards the bell's general area. A little creepy, but whatever. Illia thinks before walking over to a table and taking a seat. Illia breathes a sigh of relief, as she had been walking literally all day, "A mug of ale over here please!" She calls out.

The vampire, Merek, replies to Doru: "He has lived a long, prestigious life; perhaps it is sunsickness. Or some vampire plague. I do not know; I am making things up. But you are right; our home is not in the light, and there is always an end." The two reach the bottom of the stairs and turn the corner. Merek opens up a large wooden door, revealing a dank candlelit room where several figures stand around a table, upon which stand some vials of blood. One figure stands taller than the rest and looks towards Doru. "Well, you're here earlier than I've expected." Doru does not recognize this man; even his features don't seem familiar, indicating that even his parents are unknown to Doru.

The boy atop the bell tower shrieks momentarily, hesitates, and hurries to where Marth bailed. Marth barely succeeds at keeping his grip as he scales down the dark side of the church. However, it's a twelve foot drop if he doesn't slide down the columns. "Sir, you've fallen! Please, grab my hand!" The boy leans over and reaches towards Marth.

Inside the tavern, the barkeep puts away the coins he was counting and absentmindedly fills a mug with ale as he walks towards the door, glaring at Illia. "Leave four coppers on the table," he grumbles as he sets the mug on the edge of the table and prepares to depart. The other three men in the pub have already gotten up and left, leaving their drinks.

Synyster is halfway down the plaza, sticking to the shadow cast by the steeple, as people start entering the plaza from all sides, all heading direcly towards the church. There is not more than ten feet between each individual, but the gargantuan church is sure to fit them all. They do not seem to notice Synyster in the shadows; their have fixated their gazes on the colossal double wooden doors of the church.

Illia kicks her feet onto the table before taking a drink, "Gonna need change, then. I only have silvers." She says before taking out a silver piece. I wonder why everyone seems so entranced by that bell. Then again, it's not my problem. Illia thinks, concluding that it's none of her business and that she'd just stay in the tavern and enjoy her beverage.

Marth momentarily bares his fangs at the boy, then grabs onto the column and slides down, barely holding on as the bell clangs so closely in his ears. That brat, I'd kill him if it weren't day. That damn bell is awful, maybe I should destroy it come nightfall...

The beverage quenches Illia's thirst and revitalizes her a little bit. She spots some coppers lying on the counter; four to be precise. As she relaxes she notices that many people are passing down the street outside, all heading towards the church. She hears a hiccup from the back corner, where a man who appears to be drunk comes stumbling out, bumping into one table and nearly falling onto another. He slurs his voice as his drool drips onto the table: "Damn tables, always out to get the ale, got four legs against my two and they still don't trip over them..."

Doru's interlocutor smiles and bows slightly. The rest turn to face Doru; one man's eyes widen, his face full of shock, and he flees through a back door with great haste, leaving scarcely a whimper. Another is frozen in awe. The last seems to simply recognize Doru. The tall one speaks. "Welcome, Lord Thorne. Certainly your thirst shall be appeased, for no lesser can be presented to a guest of such great honor." He walks to a door directly opposite of the entryway through which Doru had entered and opens it. Seconds later, a formal looking man walks out and stands a few feet in front of the tall figure. "He is granted asylum for his life and his blood; I'd prefer you not kill him, but do as you wish; your reputation carries far more worth than the life of one man." At this statement, fear creeps into the man's eyes.

Synyster tries to wait around longer, but the crowd begins to get larger, all moving toward the church. Already in the middle of the plaza, Synyster is being pushed towards the door. He does not notice Marth sliding down the column.

Marth slides down with ease, smoothly, and the crowd does not notice him. He realizes that trying to push past them and get away from the church would be futile, as the entryway has bottlenecked the masses close to where Marth is standing. He is being forced in.

As Doru approaches the man, he grins as the fear spreads across his victim's face. "I am in a foul mood but I will allow this man to live as he is not the cause of my irritation." Doru says before lunging and biting into the man's neck draining blood at an adequate pace, he makes sure to leave enough for the man to live.

Doru wipes his mouth and takes a vial from his pocket and drinks some of its viscous red fluid. "Before we begin our discussion, I have two conditions and one concession: First, the one who ran will be returned to this room; Second, I would have you provide me your name and age, and if you are not of pure blood, your sire's name; Finally, I will allow the one who ran to live if he returns, however I will hunt him if he chooses to continue his evasion."

How oddly convenient, nobody noticed me. My ears are still ringing though, and now all this human babble... Marth allows himself to be taken inside, but makes a point to change the inner workings of his ear back to normal to protect his hearing.

When Illia spots the four coppers she inwardly smiles. Convenient. This would be a perfect moment were it not for that drunk bumping into everything. With any luck, he'll leave just like everyone else has. If not, I suppose I could put up with him as long as he doesn't come near me. Hopefully I didn't just jinx it... Illia thinks to herself before taking another drink.